Floating spring construction for type magazine and the like



P 1959 R. R. HENDERSON 2,90 ,9

' FLOATING SPRING CONSTRUCTION FOR.

TYPE MAGAZINE-AND THE LIKE Original Filed Sept, 11, 1956 44 INVEN TOR.

F I lay ATTORNEY- ROBERT R. HENDERSON.

Unite States atent lice 2,903,962 Patented Sept. 15, 1959 FLOATING SPRING CONSTRUCTION FOR TYPE MAGAZINE AND THE LIKE Robert R. Henderson, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Burronghs Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Claims. (Cl. 101-109) This inventionrelates to improvements in type magazines and the like supporting .a plurality of type, punch or other elements, which are adapted to be struck or otherwise moved against the biasing force of a tensioning spring or springs, and to animproved floating spring construction for biasing a plurality of such elements.

The invention has among itsobjects-to provide an improved floating spring construction for biasing a plurality of relatively movable type, punch or other elements supported between a :pair of spaced support members of a type magazine and the like.

Specifically, the invention seeks to provide improvements in spring constructions for apparatus of the above and a related character from the standpoint of decreasing fatigue and fiexure type stresses in the spring and of reducing breakage and increasing the service life thereof.

Other objects are toprovide an improved spring construction which is of simple shape, minimum length and economical to manufacture, which provides substantially constant tensioning force over substantially its entire length and which is positive and reliable in action.

Still other objects are to provide an improved type element supporting magazine which accommodates a floating spring of the above character and facilitates insertion and removal of the spring and type elements without requiring disassembly of the magazine.

The above and other objects together with the features and advantages attending the present invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description and drawings in which: I

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective View of a box-like type magazine accommodating a floating spring construction in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates the shape of the floating spring prior to insertion in the type magazine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 illustrates the spring in the type magazine of Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate the action of the floating spring in the type magazine of Fig. l; and

Fig. 6 illustrates the use of the floating spring in a different form of type magazine.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates a boxforate or otherwise stamp or mark a medium interposed between the head of the elements and a suitable backing plate, platen orbed. A type box of this. character, together with suitable hammering mechanism for driving the type elements against a paper carrying platen, is illustrated in co-pending U.S. patent application S.N.

609,112, fora Combined Typewriter, Printing and Caldisposed sides thereof.

culating Machine filed September 11, 1956, in the names of Robert R. Henderson and Louis J. Gavasso and assigned to the present assignee.

The type box, which is illustrated as viewed from the rearof the machine of the above mentioned patent ap plication, may be fabricated from a pair of channelshaped case portions 16 and 18 which between them form the six sides of the type box enclosure. The rearward caseport-ion 16 includes a rearwardly disposed wall portion 20 having an integrally formed pair of vertically spaced, forwardly bent portions 22 and 24 forming the top and bottom of the type box. The forward case portion 18 includes a forwardly spaced wall portion 26 having an integrally formed pair of horizontally or laterally spaced, rearwardly bent wall portions 28 and 36 which form the side walls of the box and are received between the top and bottom portions 22 and 24 I of the rearward case portion, substantially as shown. The

rearward and forward case portions may be locked in assembled position by any suitable means such as a U-shaped member 32 having a pair of spaced arms, which extend through registering openings in a vertical central portion of the rearward and forward Walls of the box and may be peened, staked or otherwise deformed to hold thecase portions together.

The rear wall 20 is spaced from the forward wall 26 and is illustrated as having a number of vertically and horizontally or laterally spaced guide slots or apertures "34- therein which are aligned transversely of the box to register with a number of similarly spaced guide slots'or apertures 36 provided in the forward wall 26. The slots are illustrated as being of rectangular configuration and arranged in two groups disposed on op- -'posite sides of a vertical central portion of the respective rearward and forward walls of the box each of which groups contains seven horizontally spaced, vertically extending rows of slots. Each of the vertically extending rows contains six uniformly vertically spaced slots which are laterally aligned with the slots of an adjacent row to form six horizontally extending rowseach containing a total of fourteen slots.

The type elements 12 extend transversely of the box and are individually received in and extend through different sets of respectively aligned or registering pairs of rearwardly and forwardly spaced slots in the rearward and forward wall portions of the type box supporting the type elements near the opposite ends thereof. Each of the type elements 12 includes an elongated stem or body portion 38, which may be of generally rectangular cross-section, and has an elongated slot 40 intermediate its ends and extending transversely through the vertically One end of the body portion of each type element projects rearwardly beyond the rear wall portion 20 and has an enlarged head 42, which .is located without the type box and may have a type face .or character thereon. The opposite ends of each type element projects forwardly beyond the forward wall. portion 26 is adapted to be struck or otherwise moved by a hammer or other means against the tensioning;force of the transverse spring 14. The spring is inserted through a vertically extending opening 44 provided in one of the sidewalls, say 28, of the type box and passes transversely through the elongated slots 40 of a horizontally disposed row of type elements.

The spring 14, which is of unitary, one-piece construction, is formed from a single strip of resilient material, such as round music wire for example, and as illustrated in Fig. 2 has an arcuate central section 46 and a pairof similarly bent, oppositely disposed terminal sections .48 and 49, located on the concave side of the arcuate central section. In its free form, prior to insertion in the type box, the spring is of a generally irregular,

quadrangular shape illustrated in Fig. 2 having four sides, no two of which are parallel, resembling a trapezium.

Starting from one end a of an initially straight piece of wire and with reference to the directions of the walls of the type box of Fig. l, the wire extends in a direction inclined to the walls 26 and 30 to a point b approximately quarterway of its length from which point it is bent rearwardly and then somewhat rightwardly about a curve bc. direction inclined to the walls 30 and 20 to a point d where it is bent rightwardly and then somewhat forwardly about a smooth curve de, which is of larger radius than the curve bc and is formed in a central portion of the wire intermediate its ends. From the point e, which is located rearwardly and to the right of the end a, the wire extends ina direction which is inclined to the walls 20 and 22 for a distance equal to the distance cd to a point) from which it is bent forwardly and then somewhat leftwardly about a curve fg that has the same curvature as and is oppositely disposed to the curve be. From the point g, the wire extends in a direction inclined to the walls 22 and 26 for a distance equal to the distance ab and terminates at the end of the wire h. The ends a and h of the wire located intermediate the curved end portions be and fg of the formed spring are spaced slightly from each other imparting a break or discontinuity in the spring whereby the spring portions ab and hg may be independently flexed and displaced relative to one another.

The terminal sections 48 and 49 of the formed spring are thus of generally opposed V-shaped or double hair pin configuration, the adjacent sides ab, cd, and e), gh of each of which sections are inclined at an acute angle 4: to each other and are joined by the curved portions be and fg, respectively. The sides cd and e) located ad acent the arcuate central portion de of the spring form an obtuse angle therebetween opposite the obtuse angle. formed between the relatively displaceable sides gh and ab of the spring. The center of curvature of the curved portions be and fg is shown as lying on a common center line LL passing through the center of curvature O of the central section de and extending in the direction of the longitudinal expanse or length of the formed spring. The portions ab and gh of the terminal sections are shown located on the side of the center line LL opposite the arcuate central section de and are located on opposite sides of a line of symmetry or center line W-W extending in the direction of the lateral expanse or width of the formed spring and bisecting the arcuate central portion.

After the spring is inserted through the opening 44 in side wall 28 and through the registering slots 40 in a horizontally. disposed row of type elements mounted in the type box, the spring is compressed slightly in the direction of its width or lateral expanse and assumes somewhat of a bow or more nearly triangular shape also resembling a coat-hanger without the hook, as indicated in Fig. l, in which the portions ab and kg of the spring form the base of the triangle, the portions cd and 2 the shoulders or other two sides of the triangle and the arcuate central portion de, a rounded apex thereof. The relatively displaceable portions ab and kg of the formed spring engage the forwardly located end wall of the elongated slot 40 in each of the type elements of a horizontally disposed row of elements and are uniformly spaced silghtly rearwardly from the inner face of the forward wall 26 of the type box, while the arcuate central portion de of the spring engages the fiat central portion of the inner face of the rearward wall 20.

From the point c, the wire extends in a Fig. 3 illustrates the action of the spring when a" i which engages the end wall of the slot in the type element 12G, toward the rear wall 20 of the type box. The spring portion ef is also displaced slightly rearwardly over a central portion thereof intermediate its ends e and f and is bowed or flexed in a slight curve from its normal position, shown in dashed outline, toward the forward Wall 26.

In Fig. 4, the type element 12C intermediate the type elements 12A and 12G has been moved to printing position, moving the spring portion gh uniformly from the forward wall 26 and displacing the right end 1 of the spring portion fe toward the rear wall 20 of the type box. Since the type element 12C is displaced from the center of curvature of the arcuate central portion a'e of the spring, its movement will establish a moment of force that will tend to rock the spring in a counterclockwise direction about the fulcrum provided by the arcuate central section engaging a central portion of the inner face of the rear wall 20. However, since the spring portion ab is constrained against forward movement by the end walls of the slots in the type elements located to the left of the center of the type box, the spring will distend somewhat leftwardly and will flex slightly on the opposite sides of the arcuate central portion in a reverse direction toward the rear wall 20 of the type box to accommodate the load applied to the spring.

Fig. 5 illustrates the shape of the spring when the rightmost type element 12G has been moved to printing position and displaces the right end g of the spring portion gh and the end 1 of spring portion fe further rearwardly toward the rear wall 20 of the type box. Since the type element 12G is located close to the center of curvature of the curved end portion gf, little or no stressing of the spring occurs in this region. However, the longer moment arm established with reference to the center of curvature of the arcuate central portion de will create a greater rocking tendency to produce a more pronounced leftward distension of the spring and reverse flexure near the left end of the spring portion fe and near the right end of the spring portion dc on the opposite sides of the arcuate central portion de.

It will be seen that the spring is not anchored or fastened to any portion of the type elements and the type box, but is floatingly supported and free to move within the slotted type units. It should be noted also that the spring is not always stressed at the same point as different ones of the type elements are actuated and that the deflection of the spring under the application of a deflecting force or load thereto is distributed over substantially equal linear portions thereof. In Fig. 3, for example, substantially all of the spring deflection takes place over the adjacent portions hg, gf, and fe; in Fig. 4, the deflection occurs for the most part over the adjacent portions xg, g), fe, ed, and dy; while in Fig. 5, the deflection occurs mostly over the adjacent spring portions fe, ed, dc, all of which portions are of substan tially the same length. Accordingly, the spring will exert substantially uniform tensioning or biasing force over substantially its entire length and assure positive and reliable action thereof. The above factors, together with the fact that each of the similarly bent, oppositely disposed terminal sections span the width or lateral expanse of the formed spring, appreciably reduce fatigue and flexure type stresses therein, thereby assuring prolonged service life and virtual elimination of spring breakdown and consequent replacement. In fact, life tests conducted on the spring of the present invention exhibited no breakage, permanent set, or wear of the spring even after million cycles of operation thereof.

Owing to the slotted side wall 28 through which the spring is inserted after assembly of the type box and insertion of the slotted type elements therein, assembly of the type box and magazine assembly is greatly facilitated, and installation and replacement or changing of the type elements may be made without disassembly of the type box. Removal of the spring may be accomplished simply as by inserting a probe or hooked tool through the opening 44 to engage and displace the bent portion gf of the spring toward the opening and withdrawing the spring therethrough as a unit. By reason of the simple shape of the spring and the fact that the oppositely disposed terminal sections span the width of the spring, fabrication of the spring is simplified, and stressing during fabrication thereof is kept to a minimum.

Fig. 6 illustrates the application of the floating spring of the present invention to a type bar 50, which is illustrated in Figs. 67 and 69 of U.S. Patent 2,629,549 to T. M. Butler, carrying a vertically disposed row of horizontally extending type elements 52. As opposed to the slotted type elements 12 of the type box of Fig. 1, each of the type elements 52 is provided with a laterally extending shoulder portion 54 which engages a part of the relatively displaceable spring portions ab and kg of the split, spring 14, the arcuate central section de of which is shown engaging a rearward portion of the type bar in which the type elements are supported. The action of the spring is similar to that explained in Figs. 3, 4, and 5.

The present sole application is a division of application Serial No. 609,112, filed September 11, 1956, now abandoned.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a plurality of elongated elements, a pair of spaced support members extending transversely of and supporting said elements near the opposite ends thereof, and a floating unitary spring located between said spaced support members and extending transversely of said elements, said spring having an arcuate central section of convex inflectionless curvature fulcrumed against one of said support members and a pair of similarly bent, oppositely disposed terminal sections located on the concave side of said arcuate central section, said terminal sections having a pair of relatively displaceable independently flexible spring portions engaging a portion of each of said elements, each of said independently flexible spring portions having a free end located inwardly of said arcuate central section.

2. In combination, a plurality of elongated type elements, a type box including a pair of spaced sides extending parallel to said type elements and an adjoining pair of spaced support members extending transversely of and supporting said type elements near the opposite ends thereof, and a floating spring of unitary construction located within said type box between said spaced support members and extending transversely of said elongated type elements, said spring having a wholly convex arcuate central section fulcrumed against a flat central portion of one of said support members and a pair of similarly bent, oppositely disposed terminal sections located on the concave side of said arcuate central section, said terminal sections having a pair of relatively displaceable independently flexible, free end portions engaging a portion of each of said elongated type elements and directed inwardly of said arcuate central section and toward a center line bisecting the arcuate central section, one of said spaced sides of said type box having an opening therein to facilitate insertion and removal of said spring and said type elements without disassembling said box.

3. In combination, a plurality of elongated type elements, each having a slot therein in the direction of elongation thereof, a type magazine including a pair of spaced support members extending transversely of and supporting said type elements near the opposite ends thereof, and a floating spring of unitary construction located within said type magazine between said spaced support members and extending transversely of said elongated type elements through the said elongated slots therein, said spring having an arcuate central section of uniform convex curvature arched against a flat central portion of one of said transversely extending support members and a pair of similarly bent, oppositely disposed terminal sections located on the concave side of said arcuate central section, said terminal sections having a pair of relatively displaceable independent flexible, free end portions directed inwardly toward a center line bisecting the arcuate central section and engaging an end portion of the slot in each of said elongated type elements.

4. A split wire spring of unitary one-piece construction having an inflection free arcuate central section of constant curvature with an adjoining pair of similarly bent terminal sections located on opposite sides of a center line bisecting the arcuate central section, said terminal sections including a spaced pair of smoothly curved bent portions of lesser radius than the arcuate central section and having their centers of curvature lying on a common center line normal to the center line of said arcuate central section and passing through the center of curvature of the latter section, a first pair of rectilinear portions each extending from one end of a respective one of said bent portions to the adjacent end of said arcuate central section, and a second pair of independently flexible and relatively displaceable rectilinear portions each extending from the other end of a respective one of said bent portions in a direction inclined to the center line bisecting said arcuate central section and having a displaceable free end located inwardly of the ends of the arcuate central section, said relatively displaceable rectilinear portions being located on the side of said common center line opposite said arcuate central section and on opposite sides of said center line bisecting said arcuate central section.

5. In combination, a plurality of elongated elements, a pair of spaced support members extending transversely of and supporting said elements near the opposite ends thereof, and a floating unitary spring of substantially triangular shape located between said spaced support members and extending transversely of -said elements,

said spring having an inflection free arcuate central section forming a rounded apex fulcrumed against a flat central portion of one of said transversely extending support members, a pair of sides tangent to and diverging from said rounded apex, and a split base section having a centrally located discontinuity therein providing an oppositely directed, normally aligned pair of independently flexible spring portions engaging a portion of each of said elements.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,548,954 Pasinski Aug. 11, 1925 1,978,898 Ford Oct. 30, 1934 2,508,593 Braun May 23, 1950 2,619,900 Stuivenberg Dec. 2, 1952 2,698,573 Kruger Jan. 4, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 450,249 Germany Oct. 4, 1927 883,814 Germany July 20, 1953 

